Kiryas Joel will lead review of scaled-back annexation +VIDEO

MONROE — A new petition to shift 164 acres of Monroe into Kiryas Joel is moving forward without another disagreement over which municipality will lead the environmental review.

Chris McKenna

MONROE — A new petition to shift 164 acres of Monroe into Kiryas Joel is moving forward without another disagreement over which municipality will lead the environmental review.

The Monroe Town Board voted 3-1 Monday to cede that role to Kiryas Joel, avoiding a conflict that has stalled a previous request to add 507 acres to the village. The petition filed last week embodies a portion of the properties from the larger request submitted in December.

That earlier petition — which hasn't been withdrawn — is on hold because both the town and village sought to be lead agency for the environmental studies, forcing the state Department of Environmental Conservation to choose between them. The DEC has delayed making that politically sensitive decision for months.

Monroe Supervisor Harley Doles voiced support for the scaled-back request Tuesday, saying the areas in question have zoning that allows multi-family housing, have access to Kiryas Joel water and sewer lines and effectively blend into the village.

"The 164 acres have always been part of KJ from a day-to-day and cultural point of view," Doles said.

Board critics are incensed the board made no effort to compete for lead-agency status and are exploring ways to challenge the proposed annexation in court.

"They're not looking at the overall public interest," Emily Convers, chairwoman of the citizens group United Monroe, said of the Monroe board members on Tuesday. "They showed to us once again that they are working for the leaders of Kiryas Joel."

cmckenna@th-record.com

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